Presidential Candidate Choices

Like most of the rest of the citizens of this country, I’ve been inundated with Presidential primary election results since the first of the year. I’ve been surprised by the voter turn out so far, especially because of how absolutely saturated the media has been with the candidates for the past year. Quite honestly, I’m pretty tired of it already and wish the election were tomorrow so we could just get it done and over with.     

Like most of the rest of the citizens of this country, I’ve been inundated with Presidential primary election results since the first of the year. I’ve been surprised by the voter turn out so far, especially because of how absolutely saturated the media has been with the candidates for the past year. Quite honestly, I’m pretty tired of it already and wish the election were tomorrow so we could just get it done and over with.

At the same time, I’ve been pleasantly surprised because of the voter turn out. In New Hampshire 85% of the registered voters turned out, which really is unprecedented in this country. I don’t think we get even half that much in a regular election.

People are excited. There is a wide variety of candidates to choose from and the voters are taking their time to get to know each of them as well as they possibly can before making their decision.

I still haven’t made a definite decision about who I’m in favor of. I know I will not be voting Republican — which is something I did most of my life, up until the last Presidential election. Every single Republican candidate is, quite simply, off my A list…

Huckabee, a Baptist preacher who believes in the sanctity of human life — at least whiole it’s still in a woman’s womb. After that, these prolifers don’t give a damn about human life. Plus, the last thing this country needs is someone else from the far right wing running this country to the ground even further.

Romney, a Mormon who is prowar, but whose own sons have not served their country in the military. Sure, they served two year missions for the LDS church and they are now serving their country by working in their father’s election campaign. Sorry, Mitt, doesn’t cut it for me. Those boys of yours have no concept, and neither do you, of what the true cost of war is, nor do they or you have any concept of what it’s like for a soldier and his/her family. Add to that, he’s another "prolifer". Gag.

Don’t even get me started with Guiliani whose entire campaign has been run on the backs of 9/11 and its victims, with a big dose of fear added in. What a cruel joke.

There is Ron Paul, and there are some things I like, such as his anti-war stand and his knowledge of the Constitution. But that is not enough for me to vote for him. He, too, is a "prolifer" and the decisions he has made in Texas regarding environmental issues and the like have been more in favor of the big corporations than his constituents.

On to the Democratic candidates…

I absolutely will not vote for Hillary Clinton for any reason whatsoever. You couldn’t pay me enough money to do it. She is absolutely institutional Washington, inside the beltway, political insider and in the pocket of Rupert Murdoch. If she is elected, it will be business as usual, maintaining the status quo. Nothing at all whatsoever will change. Not to mention, I’m really tired of the Bush/Clinton/Bush legacy. It seems more like a royal dynasty to me than it does anything.

It’s really sad, too. I really would have liked to vote for the first woman to have a credible chance at the White House. But I cannot vote for this woman. I do not have any kind of faith in her whatsoever.

I do like Barack Obama. He is the first candidate I’ve heard who said he would end the war, restore habeas corpus and close Guantanamo. He is the only candidate I’ve heard say that he would be willing to talk to the leaders of other countries — even the ones we don’t like — and try to negotiate. Plus, he is the first man of African American descent that has a chance at the Presidency. I like that. I like his charisma and I honestly do think he would be a good leader. I like that he really does seem to represent change. However, I do not know where he stands on the other issue that is important to me — global warming.

I like John Edwards. One of the things he did that really stands out for me is that he decided not to take money from corporations and special interest groups. He is running is campaign on a much tighter purse than the other candidates. Edwards says he will end the war in Iraq and has a plan for it (even though it’s not as quickly as I would like). I like that he says he is for the working man and woman and wants to help the American Middle Class.

My favorite candidate, though, doesn’t have a chance of winning, and that is Dennis Kucinich. Dennis really does represent all the things that are important to me and would be the perfect candidate. But he is far too liberal and the media does not like him at all.

Speaking of the media, is anyone else tired of the media picking their favorite candidates and running one story after another about them? They most definitely have not given all of the candidates equal air time and opportunity. I think this is really a travesty, because there are some excellent underdog candidates. Guess that’s what happens when we get corporate media in our lives.

Anyway, back to my picks. If I thought Dennis had a chance of winning, I would vote for him. But he doesn’t. Once again, I find myself in the position of choosing someone less than perfect for me… It will be either Obama or Edwards and right now I am leaning toward Obama.

Peace,
Amy Branham